Locals flock to St. Augustine Chick-fil-A

Show support to company owner, traditional values and freedom of speech

A long line of people wait to enter the St. Augustine Chick-fil-A on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of people crowded the restaurant in support of the restaurant's president, Dan Cathy, who was criticized for his comments on gay marriage.

A long line of people wait to enter the St. Augustine Chick-fil-A on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of people crowded the restaurant in support of the restaurant's president, Dan Cathy, who was criticized for his comments on gay marriage.

A long line of cars surrounds the St. Augustine Chick-fil-A on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of people crowded the restaurant in support of the restaurant's president, Dan Cathy, who was criticized for his comments on gay marriage.

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Hundreds of area residents packed the Chick-fil-A on U.S. 1 South in St. Augustine Wednesday afternoon and waited hours to be served as part of a national demonstration.

Many, waiting extended periods of time in line or in the drive-thru, said they were supporting the right to freedom of speech and religion, as well as showing support for the company’s owner and traditional values.

The demonstration of support developed after company president Dan Cathy came under heavy criticism weeks ago following a radio interview when he backed “the biblical definition of the family,” according to the Associated Press. He said, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’”

Gay rights groups and politicians criticized the company, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino who wrote a letter to Cathy stating that “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it,” according to the AP.

Many people have responded in support of Cathy, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who declared Wednesday national “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.” People around the country flocked to Chick-fil-A restaurants to show their support.

“I don’t agree with people bashing him just because of saying he supports traditional marriage,” said Dave Clark of St. Augustine. He and a passenger had been waiting in the drive-thru more than an hour.

From before noon to after 9 p.m. at the St. Augustine restaurant, people edged up to the drive-thru window while a continuous line was out the door.

Susan Joyner of St. Augustine, waited in the drive-thru for about an hour and 20 minutes. For her, it was about supporting the First Amendment and family values.

“It stands for freedom of speech,” she said of the company. “It stands for family. It stands for God.

“I don’t want a business to go down for what they believe,” she said.

Several of the people interviewed identified themselves as Christian and supported traditional values — including the belief of marriage between one man and one woman.

“The gay union, it’s not a marriage,” said Lois Sewell, of St. Augustine Beach, who waited in the drive-thru with her husband.

Most people also said they were there to support freedom of speech and the freedom to express religious beliefs without being persecuted for them.

“Since when can Americans not have a personal belief?” said Nancy Harbison as she walked into the Chick-fil-A.

Mike Thompson, of Fruit Cove, said for him it was about “smaller government” and “more freedom.”

“I just want Chick-fil-A to know that I support their right to stand behind what they believe,” he said.

There were not any protestors at the St. Augustine Chick-fil-A in the afternoon, but some opponents of the company are planning a protest of sorts on Friday that has been called “Kiss Mor Chiks,” according to the AP. Same-sex people have been encouraged to go to Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country and kiss.

The Rev. Ruth Jensen-Forbell, senior pastor at First Coast Metropolitan Community Church in St. Augustine, said the heart of the issue is not the comment that Cathy made on the radio. Rather, it is where money from Chick-fil-A’s charitable organization has gone, she said.

Her church is primarily attended by gay people. She said she has been with her partner for 25 years.

Chick-fil-A has been criticized in the past couple of years for supporting through its charity arm what some have called anti-gay organizations.

“I think he’s entitled to his opinion,” Jensen-Forbell said of Cathy. “I’m getting a little tired of people holding up some biblical standard of what marriage ought to be, because there is none.”

She said later, “We have not been supporting Chick-fil-A for a very long time because we saw where his money was going.”

Employees from the St. Augustine Chick-fil-A were not allowed to comment.

However, a statement from Steve Robinson, executive vice president of marketing for the company, said that Chick-fil-A culture “is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”

“Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena,” according to the statement.

Jensen-Forbell said she was not aware of any protest planned on Friday, but she urged people to use decorum.

“I just think people need to be respectful,” she said. “I am not anti- demonstration — you do it in a respectful way.”

David Vandygriff is CEO of River City News, an LGBT publication in Duval County. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Vandygriff agreed that the most controversy against Chick-fil-A is about financial contributions that the company has made. He also said that most people he has spoken with don’t care about Cathy’s opinion.

But he didn’t deny the powerful effect that Cathy’s words had — especially the part about bringing “the wrath of God.”

“It’s like pouring salt in the wound,” Vandygriff said, “or throwing gasoline on the fire, which is what he did.”

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And I can prove it... If a local business came out in support of gay marriage around here, these religious nuts would boycott the hell out of it. It's called free enterprise, where the marketplace decides... You remember that part of being a republican, don't you sheeple? Before you start calling me a democrat, liberal scum - I'm an independent (I hate them all) who used to be a republican until the right wing christians took over and threw common sense (like science) out and started to make laws based on religion instead of reason. Sound familiar? (Taliban, Saudi Arabia, other people you purport to hate...)
Religion has nothing to do with marriage in this country anyway. It's a LEGAL union of two consenting adults. You can have 5 different weddings in 5 different churches on Saturday and none of them will count unless you have a MARRIAGE LICENSE. A LEGAL document. If you have a marriage license, you can get married hanging upside down from a tree in your backyard and you are LEGALLY married. Marriage is simply two consenting ADULTS who have chosen to join their lives together to enjoy the benefits, rights, and responsibilities of such a union. It's inevitable that gay marriage will be legal. I hate to break that to my christian brethren... It may not seem like it in small town St. Auggie, but in the larger cities in the country this is not the case.
Judge not lest ye be judged... Why notice a speck in your neighbor's eye when you have a log in your own... Let he who is without sin cast the first stone... The bible is full of these parables to let you know that you're a no good sinner too, just like the gays. God doesn't need any prosecuting attorneys, folks...

So what can we infer about people who would wait that long for a fast food item (1 hr 20 min) that you could get tomorrow in less than 5 minutes?

It's a sheep exercise. If you fell for it, it's time to reevaluate your life's priorities.

Might that time you spent waiting in the drive-thru line (idling your car, wasting fuel) been better spent reading to a child or helping a community service organization? How about actually helping your church help people who have real problems? No. You were waiting for a sandwich so YOU could feel better about what you have done with YOUR life.

Do you really feel better now that you have become part of the empty symbolism that has torn away at the substance of the nation?